THE boss of Swansea's most high-profile restaurant has been declared bankrupt.

A bankruptcy order was made against Penthouse boss Peter Way at Swansea Civil Justice Centre on Tuesday morning.

The court excluded an Evening Post reporter from attending the brief hearing, but Ian Gibbs, office manager at the official receiver's office at Langdon House, Swansea, confirmed the order had been issued.

"Peter Way, of Mill Lane, Blackpill, was declared bankrupt on March 16 in Swansea County Court," he said. "We are the official receiver of his estate."

Mr Way said: "My legal team and the court-appointed trustees are confident that the matter will be resolved in the very near future.

"The restaurant will continue to trade unaffected."

He has been the sole director of Peter Way Restaurants Ltd.

But the bankruptcy means he is no longer able to act as a company director without the court's permission. It means a receiver could sell off Mr Way's assets to pay off creditors.

A bankruptcy petition was issued against Penthouse director Peter Way in January, with creditors demanding repayment of £905,781.66. It relates to a director's loan paid to Mr Way by Aquila Support Services, a company which supplied cleaning and support services to the hotel and catering industry before it went into liquidation in June 2009.

London-based BMH Cleaning and Support Services, registered to Peter Way, also went into administration earlier this month with the loss of an estimated 400 part-time and temporary jobs.

The company supplied specialist support and cleaning services to the hotel and catering industry.

The Penthouse restaurant, based on the 27th floor of the Meridian Tower in the marina, has faced a number of problems in recent months, with staff walking out over unpaid wages. North Wales-based Jerry Cody, who was employed as an operational consultant at the restaurant in January, also claims he is owed money after paying out almost £6,000 of his own cash to pay angry staff caught up in problems with wages.

"It is always sad when a person's actions lead them to bankruptcy, but it is even more upsetting to see innocent parties suffer," he said.

"Had Mr Way heeded my advice some time ago, I believe things may have turned out differently.

"However, I suspect that, in the long run, the bankruptcy order will prove best for everyone, including Mr Way himself." Celebrity chef Mark Broadbent was hired to front the venture, which opened with a glitzy black tie party in November of last year.

But he left the restaurant just before Christmas, and claims he is still owed around £13,500 in unpaid wages.

"I've accepted that I won't get my money back," he said.

"The whole thing has caused me a lot of aggravation and lots of people are in a lot of trouble.

"But this is the beginning of the end, and I'm relieved about that. I think between us and the creditors, we've done a good job of chasing him to make sure he faces the facts."

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